Improvement in railroad-gates



z-Sheets-Sheetl. H. A. STEARNS.

RAILROAD-GATE. i No.173,8'23. y Patented Feb.zz,1,a7e.

WITNESSES. iNVENTOR.

N.FETEHS. PHQT-LITHOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C.

l ZSheets-Sheet 2. H. A. STEARNS.

RAILROAD-GATE.

No.417v3,823.

Fig. 5.

Fig, 4.

INVENTGR.

w-lTNEs'SEs.

PEV; PHOTO-LITHOGRAPHER, WASHINGTON D C,

N'IEED STATES PATENT OEE-10E.

HENRY A. sTEAaNs, 0E PAwrucKEr, RHODE ISLAND.

YimPRlovi-:iimzlxir IN RAILROAD-GATES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. lf3,823, dated February 22, 1876; application iiled i January 10, 1876. j

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that'I, HENRY A. STEARNS, ot' Pawtucket, in the county of Providence, State of vRhode Island, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Gates, being an improvement on the patent to J. S. Winsor, May 2G, 1874, No. 151,260; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of thc same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure lis an elevation, 'showing the gate as seen-from the railroad. The gate-bars are shown perpendicular, the gate being' open, the position of the bars when the gate across the railroad is closed being shownin broken lines. Fig.2 is an elevation, showing the gate as seen from the common road crossing the railroad. The gate is shown closed both across the common road or street and the sidewalks on each side of the same while the bars for closing the railroad are raised. Fig. 3 is a plan view, showing the position of the standards and the gates. The road or street and the sidewalks aie shown closed, and the railroad open. When the road or street and sidewalk gatebars arc closed the gate across the railroad will be closed. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of one of the standards. Fig. 5 is a vertical sectionof one ofthe standards, showing the novel arrangement for operating three gate-beams so as to raise one when the other two are closed, and Vice versa.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts.

rlhis invention has reference to that kind of gates'in which gate-bars swinging vertically are supported on shafts placed in standards and connected by chains, ropes, or wire rods; and consists in the novel arrangement by which both the road or street and the sidewalks are closed at one operation, either4 on one side of the railroad only or on both sides of the same. It further consists in the peculiar arrangement by which, when the gates protecting the railroad-crossing are-open, a gate closes the railroad so as to prevent cattle from getting onto the road-bed; and also consiststin providing strong and firm supports for the gate-bars, as is more fully set forth hereinafter.

In the drawings, a a a a are four standards, within which suitable shafts, gears, and pulleysare so arranged as to move the several arms of the several gates. These standards a a a a are placed into the four angles formed at the crossing of a street or common road over a railroad, as shown in Fig. 3, where a road is shown crossing the railroad at a right angle. road at any other angle. I) b b b are gatebars, by which the approach to the railroad is prevented when the'other gate-bars are raised. The gate-bars b b are connected with the shaft ofthe other gate-bars by means of beveled gears or segments of such gears. 'c c c c are gate-bars for closing the approach to the railroad when trains are passing over the same. rlhese gate-bars swing vertically in aline parallel With the line of the railroad while the bars b b swing across the railroad and on a line with the line of the road or street crossing the railroad. The arms or gate-bars c c are secured to shafts supported in bearings in the standards a a a a. 0n these, shaft-pulleys or segmentsof pulleys are secured. These pulleys are connected by means of chains, ropes, or wires, so that the motion of one of the gate-bars c c is communica-ted at once to the others, and all move simultaneously. d d d d are the gate-bars, extendin g, when closed, over y the sidewalk. These bars turn on a stud or pin, and are provided with segmental gears engaging with similarsegmental gears at the end ot' the bars c c, so that when the bars c c are raised the bars d d are also raised. e c are balance-weights, arranged to balance or nearly balancethe weight ot the gate-bars. These weights c e may be placed on each bar, or a heavier weight may be placed on any one of the bars connected with each standard, so as to balance or nearly balance the weight of all the bars connected with one standard. g g are two bevel-gears, or they may be segments of such gears, as the gate-arms traverse only one-fourth of acircle. One of these bevelgears g is connectedfwith the shaft carrying the gate-bar c, and the other to the gate-bar d.

When, therefore, the gate-bar c is raised the gate-bar d is lovrered, and, as all the gate-bars c c c c are connected so as'to move simultaneously, all the bars d d del will be raised and The road or street may cross vthe rail-V stand vertically when the gate-bars c c c c are lowered and the gate is closed.

The gate-bars d d d d are to be painted of some bright color, so that when standing erect they Will form a signal by Which the engineer of an approaching train is assured that the gate at the crossing is closed, whereas he is warned of the danger-When the gate-bars d d occupy a horizontal position, thus adding materially to the safety of railroad-travel.

In balanced vertically-swinging gates the bars are secured'to the shaft on which they swing by the rotation vor partial rotation of the shaft. When these shafts are perfectlystraight all the gates will operate with little exertion of power. As soon, however, as the shafts, or either one of them, is bent, the gates not only require more power, but the connections are liable to break or get out of order. As the Vgate-bars are secured to the projecting portion ofthe shaft outside of the standard, any pressyure at the free end of the gate-bar is liable to so b end the shaft.

To prevent the bending of the shaft I place suitable brackets. h h on the standards, arranged so as ,to firmly hold the gate-bars either in the vertical or horizontal position, so

that all 'stra-in, either from pressure or from high Winds, will be sustained by these brack-` ets, and not by the shaft. By these means great strength is secured, and the shafts carrying the gate-bars are not liable to 'be bent.

Having thus described -my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. The combination, With the gatebars c c,

swinging vertically, of the bars d d, connected with the same by means substantially as described, so that both bars are raised and lowered simultaneously, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. rlhe combination, with the bars c c, of the bars b b, connected With -the same and operated by means substantially as described, so that when one set of these bars is raised the other set is lowered, as and for the purpose specied.

3. In a railroadgate, the combination, with the bars c o c c for closing the approaches 'to the track, with the bars d d d d for vclosing the sidewalks, and the bars b b b b for closing the track when the others are open, and acting as safety-signals when raised, the Whole .operating together by means substantially as described, as and for the purpose herein set forth.

HENRY A. STEARNS.

Witnesses: i

JOSEPH A. MILLER, HORACE F. HoRToN. 

